


Serendipity

by Anchan (Anchan_thevolleyballplayer)



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Changbin is overprotective, Fluff and Smut, Han Jisung | Han & Seo Changbin are Best Friends, Lee Minho | Lee Know is Whipped, M/M, Making Out, Other tags to be added later, Secrets, Slice of Life, don’t worry it’s just light angst, or maybe not but trust me everything will be fine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24202339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchan_thevolleyballplayer/pseuds/Anchan
Summary: It gets… destructive. And while it doesn’t do much harm to furniture, it has caused hassle to their paperwork and cutlery. Minho’s favourite mug was one of its first victims.And therefore, at least one roommate needs to actually play with him, otherwise things take a swift turn – and if Felix needs to have schoolwork done by tonight, there’s only one other person who comes in mind when it comes to babysitting.Minho.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 20
Kudos: 50





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> The title was picked for the reason of sounding soft, gentle, just like the intro of this story, yet has its meaning through the fact that the story was born without my consent, written by my fingers rather than my mind, and therefore I’m finding new things about the story as I go, just like a reader would. But I somehow know where I’m going, anyway, so I decided to publish it. 
> 
> Don’t expect this to be long, but because I don’t know how many chapters there will be, I don’t want to classify it as finished even when I post the last part I have stored. There won’t be any plot twist, so you don’t have to worry about waiting for the ending – I’ll just let my thoughts flow and see where it takes me. 
> 
> Treat it well 😊

Jisung is sprawled all over Minho, bodies joined from knees to shoulders, head propped up just enough to smile shyly at him. Minho wears the same smile, just a little brighter – braver.

Eyes twinkle with please, tender playfulness bringing them to connect their lips. Moving softly, ever so gently, their lips dance against each other. There’s no taste at all, but Minho savours the feel of Jisung’s chapped bottom lip and soft mouth. There’s a content sigh slipping past Jisung’s mouth when Minho’s hands slide up his back and drag the fabric of his shirt along with it.

“Min…” Jisung mumbles, half-intended as a plea. The older understands easily, leaning up to bring a little pressure into their kiss as his hands find a stable pace. Jisung’s hips start to move in time with his strokes, just barely bringing any friction at first.

Dancing with hips is even easier than harmonising lips, Minho thinks as he follows Jisung’s rhythm, basking in the quiet melody of his breathy moans. There’s something cute about Jisung getting aroused this easily.

As Jisung’s hips get more insistent, pushing harder and dragging with the aim of getting as close as possible, Minho connects their mouths one more time. His hands have long since travelled to his hips, now sliding even lower to rest on his plumps.

Jisung seems to welcome that touch, even when Minho dares to squeeze them gently. His butt is soft, just like the rest of Jisung – and despite still wearing tight jeans, it’s pleasant to the touch. His own pants are way too tight against his abdomen but getting rid of them takes time; precious time that could have been spent on this.

He senses that Jisung is getting closer, both by how eager he is with each move and press of his lips, now not only on Minho’s face but neck as well, and by the volume of his voice increasing. Breathy tunes are no longer silent, little whines sounding in the air quite obscenely.

It’s adorable, just like everything about Jisung.

Something melts in Minho, as if the outer layer of his heart fell apart before the younger – but Jisung’s already deep inside, for way longer than Minho would ever admit.

Without much thought, Minho chases after the pair of lips that’s been avoiding his for too long. His hands massage Jisung’s butt, thumbs catching in his pockets or looping around the belt loops. Then comes a squeeze – a little harder than Minho has intended – and Jisung lets out a startled moan, poured right into Minho’s mouth.

He feels the younger get rigid, and only then he dares to open his eyes. Jisung isn’t looking at him, eyes fixed on a particular place on his neck (that is probably sporting a hickey by now), breaths heavy. His hips are no longer moving.

When he doesn’t speak up, Minho resumes his movements, grinding against what feels too soft in comparison to the previous moment – and it finally dawns on him. But he doesn’t stop, not until Jisung tells him to.

The younger still doesn’t say anything, leaning back in to reconnect their lips. Minho’s fingers card through his hair, letting his blond locks tangle around them as he lightly tugs on them. Jisung usually likes when he plays with his hair, but he doesn’t let him continue.

Instead, Jisung backs away, which positions his hips far above Minho’s. He whines at the loss of contact but doesn’t complain out loud, rather waiting for what Jisung wants to do next. It’s completely okay if he wants to stop, of course – but Minho hopes that isn’t the case.

Without any words, because Jisung rarely uses any when caught in thought, Minho has figured out, Jisung shuffles to sit between Minho’s legs. His eyes observe the older’s crotch for long enough to make Minho squirm, before he leans down.

His lips press against the bulge. Just like that, a gentle press, before his mouth opens and he drags it up and down Minho’s clothed shaft. One, two breaths is what it takes Minho to regain his composure, and then his hand slides into Jisung’s hair, then rests against his cheek to lift his head. When Jisung’s eyes find his, he dares to exhale.

“Babe, please,” he begs, fighting to find words in the fluffy mess that’s left of his brain, “next time, alright? I can’t take teasing anymore.”

Jisung’s lips press together, chest puffing out – a desperate try to find a good answer, likely one that would let him continue. Minho smiles at him softly, knowing it will give him a few more seconds of silence when Jisung instinctively smiles back.

“Can I blow you?” Jisung asks, cautiously.

Minho shakes his head, thumb swiping over Jisung’s cheekbone, “not today, sorry. I just need relief.”

Jisung nods. He’s too considerate of Minho; he’s too aware of how Jisung enjoys giving head, and it’s hard to pretend he isn’t the best at it. His mouth is a skilled one, but Minho doesn’t think he can take it right now.

A simple press of hips would be enough, but Jisung seems to have a better idea. Like always.

He leans down, presses a kiss to Minho’s bellybutton – or at least somewhere close enough, since he fails to locate it through clothes, but Minho finds it cute anyway. It’s meant as a warning, _I’m going to do this,_ and while Minho isn’t entirely sure what it is, he approves.

A good decision, if you ask him; because the next thing he knows is Jisung’s face pressed against his crotch, one cheek resting on his bulge, and two innocent eyes staring up at him. “Use my cheek.”

As if Minho had enough self-control to not come with these words alone. He somehow keeps his composure, though. “Are you sure?”

Jisung nods instead of answering, dragging his cheek against Minho – the sweet friction is what clouds Minho’s mind enough to give in. With one hand in Jisung’s hair, he thrusts up carefully. The younger doesn’t seem to be phased, and he thrusts up again only to see Jisung’s lips stretch into an amused yet satisfied smile.

For the most part, Minho enjoys watching Jisung’s face as he works himself. The younger goes from looking into his eyes to eyeing what’s happening, and when he realises he can’t really _see_ from his position, he closes his eyes and relaxes into Minho’s hands.

Here and there, Jisung mumbles something small – whispers of Minho’s name or words of consent. _I like that,_ _don’t slow down,_ and even teasing, _I didn’t know you’d like it this much._

Minho ignores those, he doesn’t have time to be embarrassed, not when he’s so close to chasing his release. And it only takes a few more thrusts to get there. Jisung’s hands rest on his thighs, stroking his legs and swiping close enough to reach his sensitive areas. It drives Minho insane.

Just one more, a little longer – and he sees light.

Jisung must feel it too, maybe even hear, though Minho isn’t sure if it does any sounds from up close. All he knows is that Jisung is giggling now, slowly letting go and leaning back up to hover over Minho’s chest.

He doesn’t waste a moment, ignoring the ache in his legs and exhaustion in his veins, and captures Jisung’s lips for the umpteenth time. Jisung willingly melts into the kiss. His hands rest on Minho’s shoulders, while the older has no energy to attach his to Jisung so they rest limp beside his body.

Jisung is saying something, articulating words that are muffled by Minho’s tongue. There should be voice coming from Jisung’s mouth, but he’s too tired to register it. All he feels is Jisung’s warmth spreading through his body as if they were one.

Perfect.

And then there’s a knock.

Jisung sits up, followed by Minho adjusting his pants just enough to hide the stickiness. If he wanted to sit up as well, he’d need more time – but the door is already opening.

Felix beams at him, head angled in a formal bow, an apology for interrupting him. His smile grows even wider when he spots Jisung just a little to the left. That’s what brings him to step away from the door, setting what seems to be a grocery bag aside to embrace his best friend in his arms.

“Didn’t know you’d be here,” he says, sheepishly.

Jisung’s lips quirk up as he answers, “I didn’t either, but how fortunate. Wanted to bug you about schoolwork anyway.”

Felix’s cheeks heat up, and Minho supresses a laugh. He knows Felix has been avoiding doing schoolwork ever since Friday, because he’s been secretly hanging out with Changbin – maybe not so secretly anymore, since Minho knows. But it’s not like he’s allowed to tell anyone else, _especially Jisung,_ so there’s still some secret to their definitely-not-relationship-yeah-right-Felix.

Felix glances away from Jisung to observe his roommate, now a little wary. “You’re glaring, did I just stop you from having-”

“No, it’s good,” Jisung shushes him. “We’re done for tonight.”

The shade of Felix’ cheeks gets even redder now, but he quickly covers it with another smile. “Good to know that you’re working out. It’s nice to have a boyfriend, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Jisung agrees, sparing a shy glance at Minho. He doubts Jisung understood that as a reference, but the answer pleases Felix anyway.

There’s no reason for being so secretive about dating Jisung’s co-producer, or at least flirting with him, but it _is_ true that Jisung views him as an older brother. It took Minho months before Changbin finally stopped holding a grudge against him and accepted him as a good enough boyfriend. It took a year for the rapper to admit that he might be more than just _good enough_ for Jisung.

However, Jisung is his best friend, not just an intimidating protector, so it should be fine. Maybe Minho is underestimating him, though.

Felix squirms, seated on the verge of Minho’s bed – close enough to talk to Jisung, but not too much because he’s in a rush. As if he wanted to stand up and go, yet he’s glued to the room because of Jisung’s presence.

It’s not unpleasant. He’s used to the constant presence of his roommate, though they have an unwritten rule to never disturb each other in their rooms (because Felix may have seen him doing unholy things more than once just because the younger apparently doesn’t know how to knock).

Still, he wonders what got Felix brave enough to enter.

His eyes trail back to the paper bag Felix has carelessly put aside in front of Minho’s wardrobe. Its white colour hides its content well, yet he believes he knows what awaits him inside. A little gift from their last job, one that was meant for Felix but the older ended up calling dibs on it.

“Anyway, Lix,” he speaks up, interrupting his boyfriend and roommate who are happily chatting about nonsense. Both pairs of eyes snap in his direction, eager for an explanation. “I told you to do laundry this week, where’s the hitch?”

Felix scrunches his eyes, faintly confused, before he fully processes the words. As if on string, he lifts himself up, skipping away and out of the room. Excellent.

There’s a funny expression on Jisung’s face, one equally confused as Felix was just minutes ago. Minho doesn’t bother explaining, instead leans in to kiss the question away.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Felix huffs, switching between hopelessly staring at Minho and keeping an eye on their current problem.

Minho shrugs. “I noticed the sounds, but I was about to get busy.”

“Hyung!” Felix whines.

“It’s not like I could say: Hey, Jisung, wait a little bit so I can take care of _this_ , don’t worry, we’ll make love right after.”

Felix scoffs. “You could have texted me, at least.”

“And tell him I need to let you know not to disturb us, I guess,” Minho nods. “Yeah, I could have.”

There’s no point in arguing, anyway. They usually don’t have reasons to, already set rules to follow so things won’t get out of hand and anyway, Minho finds Felix too precious to be mad at him. Additionally, in moments like these, arguments are the least wise decision.

“What do we do about him?” Felix wonders, pushing harder at the washing machine door to keep the demon in place. They’ve been keeping him there for a few days. Minho wouldn’t be surprised if the creature got this restless because of hunger. But it’s not like they can browse google and find what this _thing_ eats.

Hopefully not humans, though that’s not highly likely, considering how small it is. The most it could eat is Changbin, and he’s fairly sure the rapper would scare it away.

“It doesn’t eat detergents, as far as we know.”

“We won’t feed it with chemicals, it might die,” Felix scolds him, getting weirdly fond of the creature like whenever Minho suggests getting rid of it. As if it wasn’t his own fault that they’re stuck with it – and maybe that’s exactly why, Felix’ motherly instinct has kicked in.

“What else can we do?”

There’s a pause, Felix’ eyes watching the black smudge that slams itself into the walls repeatedly. “Maybe we could give it cat food?”

“We’re not letting it out again,” Minho warns. “And what makes you think it’ll eat that?”

“It’s not a human, more like a small… uh, shadow cat? A dog, maybe, but we don’t have a dog in our apartment. We have Dori, though.”

“Yeah, right,” Minho chuckles in disbelief, “so we’re going to keep him as a cat and feed him.”

Felix does his best puppy eyes. That startles Minho, but it’s not like he expected a different reaction. Right, Felix wants to keep this… thing. So much for keeping it hidden in a washing machine for the whole week.

“I admit,” he deserts, “that it might not be such a bad pet, as long as it stays away from Dori.”

“I swear it will, don’t worry!” Felix exclaims, arms wrapping around Minho and pulling him into a tight, excited hug. He returns the gesture by patting Felix between his shoulder blades lightly.

Fine – it seems that they’re keeping a demon.

“Wanna come over, hyung?” Jisung asks. His voice is innocent, but the way he keeps checking out Minho’s body and worrying his lips tells Minho the real reason behind his request.

He hates it with his whole heart because he can’t say yes. However, he doesn’t have an explanation yet, so he decides to tease Jisung a little before letting him down. “Don’t you have an assignment due tomorrow?”

“My part is done,” Jisung retorts hastily. “Just waiting for Felix to finish the statistics.”

Which is the problem, quite frankly.

Minho would never guess that his love life would be dependent on Felix’ schoolwork, but that was before they adopted a demon – something that requires way more care than he expected.

Most importantly, it needs constant attention, and needs to be kept away form Dori. It can’t open door nor walk through walls, which means locking either of them (or both) away solves the second problem. However, the former is becoming a problem. Because the little devil, as Minho calls him, while Felix prefers the name _SpearB_ (which definitely isn’t a reference to Changbin’s pseudonym), doesn’t take being alone very well.

It gets… destructive. And while it doesn’t do much harm to furniture, it has caused hassle to their paperwork and cutlery. Minho’s favourite mug was one of its first victims.

And therefore, at least one roommate needs to actually play with him, otherwise things take a swift turn – and if Felix needs to have schoolwork done by tonight, there’s only one other person who comes in mind when it comes to babysitting.

Minho.

And since the demon is a secret kept better than Felix’ relationship with Changbin, it automatically means no Jisung. Scandalous, but necessary.

“Sorry baby,” he recites. It feels like he’s been saying nothing but this for the past week, “I promised Felix to do laundry this week and he’s threatening to take my 2PM albums until I do it.”

Jisung whines but it’s only half-hearted. He’s heard this and many other excuses, and all that’s left in his voice is disappointment at his boyfriend keeping a secret from him. Minho has been enduring feeling guilty about it for too long, it seems, because he finds himself giving into those eyes.

“I promise I’ll tell you what he’s up to,” he reaches for Jisung’s hand to give it a squeeze. Don’t mind that they’re still in public, he’s never been the one to care about what other people think. They’re almost on their stop anyway, he’ll take Jisung by the hand as soon as they leave the bus. “He doesn’t want to spoil it before he’s… done.”

“He’s supposed to be working on our project though,” Jisung objects. He watches in amusement as the bus stops and Minho almost stumbles to the floor at the sudden movement. The older pretends it didn’t happen and leads them outside.

“Exactly, that’s why I’m the one taking care of… this,” Minho nods, giving Jisung’s hand a squeeze. They’re heading to Jisung’s studio, dropping the producer off so Minho can rush back to his apartment and change shifts with Felix.

“It still sounds stupid,” Jisung hums, just before he slips inside of the studio building. “I swear if it’s about asking Changbin out, then he should just hurry up because I haven’t seen Changbin so whipped for anyone.”

Minho smiles, and with these words, Jisung disappears in the hallway.

“Change up,” Felix singsongs, giving Minho a high-five before slipping out of their laundry room.

Minho glances back at the washing machine. Despite caging Spear inside of it, he became quite fond of the place. He’s reluctant to getting inside of it again, aware of what happened last time – but he seems to be happy with sitting on top of it. Would sitting be the right word, considering he’s no more than a black shape?

The demon turns out to be quite cute when under control. It doesn’t talk, though it can imitate noises, and Minho is fairly sure the whiny favourite is actually an impression of himself.

The funniest sound it can do is imitating a mosquito, which proves one can teach him how to speak if he wanted to. This one was Felix’ experiment, and amusingly, it worked. Minho’s quite sure he’s heard him hum melodies of Twice and 2PM – both groups appear on their home playlist often, either as a background for the morning work out or as a way to relax after work.

He’s also very cheery, always happy to see people. It might be Minho’s imagination playing tricks on him, but he can sometimes see the demon smile.

It’s an interesting creature, that’s for sure. Maybe not something you should keep at home, probably not something that should be as friendly as it seems to be. Definitely something that shouldn’t even be real, in the first place, but Felix doesn’t care about that and Minho doesn’t, either.

Spear turns out to be a good listener, he always stays silent when one starts talking to him in a serious tone. Maybe he can’t speak yet, and maybe he doesn’t understand _what_ Minho is saying, but he can sense the message behind it.

In a way, he’s way better than any human would be – except for Jisung. Jisung is great.

Time flies fast when guarding the demon, as the creature doesn’t mind Minho doing schoolwork nor dancing. He seems to understand that a phone keeps Minho’s attention away, and has almost broken his screen twice, but he’s smart enough not to open it now.

Sometimes, Spear dares to sit on his shoulder or into his lap, and at those times, it almost feels like another cat. And Minho may or may not be getting attached.

“Why do you even stick along?” Minho wonders. He gives Spear many questions, but it’s rare for the demon to answer any, and he doesn’t understand his answers anyway. This time, Spear raises his head and bores his eyes (or what Minho supposes is a face) into Minho’s. “Don’t you come from somewhere?”

Spear purrs. “Right, it probably doesn’t matter to you, since you left.”


	2. II.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not beta-ed so take mercy on me. 
> 
> I'm too excited about this, but it gets out of hand - I blame my brain for not letting me catch up with the words.

“What makes you think that will be a good idea?” Minho stresses, leaning over the table to fake hit Felix’ head. The younger dodges, chuckling nervously. “As if it’s not weird enough.”

“I just though it would be nice. And it’s becoming…” _a problem, nuisance, yes._ It certainly isn’t easy to handle. But the more people know, the more people talk – and believe it or not, Minho has come to like Spear. He doesn’t want him to get into trouble because someone gives him away.

It’s just Changbin, and therefore also Jisung, because it wouldn’t be fair to keep it a secret from him if Felix is allowed to tell _his_ boyfriend. What more: if they’re playing game of having rights, Minho and Jisung has been dating for way longer than a few weeks, so it’s only understandable that Jisung will know first.

“How do you even want to tell them?” Minho questions. “If they’re gonna freak out and scare him away and possibly make him break something- that’s not the best first impression.”

“You worry too much,” Felix sighs. True, but it’s not like Felix is any better. He’s the one who summoned Spear (even if it was by accident), and he’s taken it upon himself to take care of him. Which should have been way easier than it truly is.

“They won’t believe us if we don’t show them,” comes instead of a reply. A scene plays in Minho’s head, trying to imagine Jisung’s reaction to those words, _we summoned a demon._ He’s childish enough to be excited about it, but also serious enough to not believe him a word – depends on his mood and the amount of sleep he’s had.

The latter means getting mad at Minho for keeping an actual secret, thinking he’d be fooled by such an excuse. Minho wouldn’t blame him for that reaction, but the only way to prove himself innocent would be revealing Spear; therefore letting them see him without a warning sounds like a better alternative.

There’s no need for an argument and an angry Jisung if they can solve it with nothing but a little fright. Either will result in a make out, if Minho plays his cards right, and spooked Jisung is funny Jisung. 

Felix hums. “Changbin will.”

“Right,” Minho chuckles, eager to tease his roommate, “he’s naïve enough.”

“Hyung!” Felix shouts, belatedly realising they’re in public. Snapping his head around, he silently bows to the barista that passes by their table. The man only rolls his eyes, a little too fondly if you ask Minho, and continues walking.

They have to be careful with their words, especially in a crowded coffee shop, but it’s not like anyone listens to their conversation. They still don’t address Spear as what he is, rather disguising him as a cat whenever they feel like someone may overhear.

“We need a plan, then,” Minho speaks up after a while, setting his empty cup aside. Felix is still eating his shortcake, the whipped cream smeared all over his cheeks. Minho resists the urge to wipe it off. “Would Spear be happy to gain some new friends?”

“Certainly,” Felix nods enthusiastically. “He’ll love any attention he can get.”

“Then we only need to be sure those two won’t freak out,” he stretches his arms over his head, “and won’t spill the tea.”

Minho grabs his boyfriend by the beltloops, bringing his hips flush against him in an attempt to trap him in place. Jisung doesn’t budge, happily plastering himself to his front as his lips find Minho’s. A lazy kiss is just an excuse to tangle his hands in Jisung’s hair, though, knowing how the younger likes when he tugs on it.

His tongue slips past Jisung’s lips, with the usual warmth welcoming him and a whimper instead of a hello. Jisung is restless today, hands roaming under Minho’s shirt and brushing up and down his sides.

Jisung wants him – there’s no doubt. It’s the first time in weeks that Minho and Jisung have a spare moment to use, hide away from responsibilities and enjoy each other. He’s almost forgotten how addicting Jisung’s touch is.

One of Jisung’s hands slides down to hook under his thigh, nudging it between his thighs. He whines when Minho moves his leg away, his own hands looping under Jisung’s butt to give him leverage. That’s a decent plan B to whatever Jisung had in mind (because he always has something on his mind when he corners Minho like this) and he soon lifts his legs to cross them behind Minho’s back.

He’s already grinding against Minho, hips restless and whines needy. His lips attach themselves to Minho’s neck, surprising yet welcome.

“For god’s sake,” Jisung swears, breathless, “I’ve been craving this.”

“Me too,” Minho agrees, mumbling the words against his lips as he brings Jisung’s head back up. Jisung savours his lips with the same energy as his neck.

They’re barely inside of Minho’s apartment but Minho knows the place by heart, so he easily carries them to his room, even though Jisung’s face blinds his vision for the most part. He only stumbles into the couch once, and he always does that.

Once they’re closed away in Minho’s room, Jisung lets himself fall onto the bed. He stretches his limbs across the mattress as if it belonged to him. It kind of does belong to him, with the frequency of his visits.

He looks inviting, legs ajar and surrounded by crumpled sheet – Minho wants to dive in and savour every inch of him. He does exactly that, pressing against Jisung’s body to get as close as possible, to connect them.

“Min, clothes…” Jisung mumbles, lips catching Minho’s into a kiss in contrary to what he’s just suggested. Minho obeys his request, anyway, trying his best to strip them off their clothes without disconnecting their lips.

Jisung hooks his legs behind his back as soon as he’s freed of his jeans. His fingers struggle to unbutton Minho’s shirt, but the older doesn’t move to help him. The frustrated noises that leave Jisung’s lips are cute, and it makes him less focused on what’s Minho doing.

He takes advantage of the situation, slipping his tongue past his lips. Jisung moans, unable to battle for dominance when struggling with the task at hand. His tongue is limp, blindly responding to Minho’s licks here and there.

He’s not playing fair when he slips his hands under Jisung’s boxers, using the bottom holes to caress his thighs. Jisung finally gives up on his shirt, arms circling around his neck to pull him closer, hips thrusting up to chase friction.

Jisung’s brows are knit together, lips parted just enough to see his tongue. They open and close repeatedly each time Minho squeezes his legs. His cheeks are flushed red, and the colour spreads all the way down to his collar where it disappears.

A wonderful view, one that Minho wants to savour.

Jisung’s moans are getting needier, encouraging Minho to move and press harder. He’s rewarded by a hitched stumble of what seems to be his name, and then he’s dragged down for another kiss. He wants to turn Jisung around and grind on his rear, but Jisung’s legs hold him in place.

Next time, yes. He’s too close to hitting jackpot; there’s no need to change the position.

Just when he’s about to release, a loud noise muffles his moan. He stops in place, unable to process what’s happened. Both boys shoot their heads towards the door but there’s no Felix coming in. Minho swears another softer thud can be heard from the living room.

Jisung is still hard, probably on the verge of coming. His eyes plead Minho to continue but he’s just as curious, and a little terrified.

“Sung, I-” he starts, yet doesn’t know what to say. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Spear; it could be Dori knocking something over. It could have been from the apartment above.

“It’s okay,” Jisung confirms. He gives Minho’s arm a comforting squeeze, though it’s obvious that he doesn’t want to stop. He blushes when Minho doesn’t look away from him, and his legs rub together self-consciously. “I can take this. Take a look, it’s probably just the cat.”

Minho nods, though he’s reluctant to let go. But it’s just one look anyway, and it usually doesn’t take long to put Spear into his place. He’ll blame it on Dori.

His legs feel like jelly when he stands up, but he swallows his pride and makes his way to the living room. Nothing unusual welcomes him, though, spare for the mess they’ve made with Jisung when stumbling into the front hall.

Carefully, Minho peeks around the corner – the hall leading to their laundry room seems empty. Except for a small table and a ceramic vase, though it isn’t supposed to be knocked down and shattered to pieces.

It was already in the apartment when Minho moved in, so he can’t say it worries him.

However, such unfortunate scene can only mean one thing: Spear isn’t asleep anymore. What more, he figured out how to open door; or learnt to walk through walls, whatever sounds more realistic. Either way, it means Spear is out in the open, and Minho can only hope he’s still inside of the apartment.

Holding onto the last drops of hope, he peeks into the laundry room, but he finds it empty. He can’t blame the demon for leaving, he was supposed to come home and feed him, so it’s technically his fault. Jisung wasn’t a part of the plan, but how could he say no?

Wait, Jisung.

Minho turns around promptly, rushing back to the living room, hoping to find Jisung in the bed – however, he’s not fast enough. Jisung seems to have been found by someone else first, and it’s not a pleasant first meeting.

A loud yell vibrates through the apartment, followed by another crash what Minho thinks is Jisung falling off the bed. Hopefully not his cat tree. But then again, a cat tree can be lifted, but Jisung will hurt himself for real if he doesn’t interfere soon.

Just – stop. He covers his ears, throwing his head back in frustration.

“What the f-” Jisung’s voice pierces through the air, and Minho realises there’s no time to relax and think about it. He needs to save his demon from his boyfriend first, or the other way around; he’s not sure who’s the threat here.

Stumbling back into his bedroom, Minho finds Spear seated on the top of his cat tree. On the other side of the room, Jisung is pressed against the wall. His eyes are watching Spear intensely.

Minho inhales, ready to explain that Spear isn’t dangerous, but Jisung interrupts him: “Don’t say anything. Do you know about that?”

“I, uh, yes,” he confirms. “That’s Spear.”

Jisung eyes him warily. “So it won’t hurt me, right?”

Minho shakes his head slowly, and once again tries to open his mouth but stops when Jisung shoots up from the bed and skips towards the demon with enthusiasm. Now that he’s been assured Spear isn’t an unwanted guest, he seems to be very interested in him.

Spear seems to be equally as surprised as Minho because he backs away, face getting darker than usual. That means he’s analysing a new subject, looking for any signs of danger. Jisung is everything but dangerous – Spear seems to understand that much.

“What’s his name?” Jisung asks, reaching out to touch him. The demon slowly extends his head and when he realises it feels nice, he lets his tail whirl around Jisung’s wrist.

“Spear.”

As if on cue, Spear lifts his head and looks at Minho. He sighs, allowing himself to relax, and reaches forward to let the demon jump on his arm. Jisung squeals.

“He’s so cute,” the younger chimes, “how come you never showed me?”

Because this was the last reaction he was expecting – which sounds dumb now that he’s thinking about it. Why did he think Jisung wouldn’t love Spear just as much as he loves Dori?

“Wait, are you keeping it a secret from Felix?” he asks then, eyes getting wider.

Minho quickly shakes his head, unable to stop a giggle. “We’re keeping him together.”

“Since when?”

“A few weeks,” he answers simply. Three weeks, bordering with a month. “Used to keep him in the laundry room, and that’s where he’s _supposed to be now._ ”

Spear ignores the sharp look Minho shoots him – what a brat. He’s focusing on how to capture Jisung’s finger with his paws, tail wrapped around Minho’s bicep to keep steady. It doesn’t feel like anything, Minho’s arm just feels a little warmer than it should, and then it also feels like what clouds would feel like if you could touch them.

“He’s adorable,” Jisung concludes, and that’s when Spear decides to jump onto his chest. Jisung doesn’t expect it to happen and the scene turns slow motion as Minho watches him fall backwards onto the bed, fortunately landing flush rather than on the floor.

Spear cuddles to his chest and whirls around his body until he’s just a smudge.

He seems happy.

And so does Jisung, whose eyes are sparkling like a little kid’s after receiving a gift. If he’s going to claim Spear as his son, just like he’s done to Dori, Minho won’t complain. Other people will have objections, but said other people aren’t at home yet.

At the end of the day, Spear has another babysitter and seems incredibly pleased with himself.

And at the other side of the apartment, since Spear finally complied and returned to the laundry room, there’s another pleased baby swinging his legs off the bed and gushing about Spear.

This went way better than he’d expected.

“Here’s your official bed,” Felix says, placing what seems to be a nest to the farther end of laundry room. Spear spares it a short glance before diving into the laundry basket. Felix whines, “that’s exactly what you’re not supposed to do!”

Minho laughs out loud, stepping towards the washing machine to fish their demon from under his dirty underwear. He cringes when he realises what has stained them, twice for realising it’s been a while since Jisung was over. Spear doesn’t seem to mind, though.

“Look,” he says as he carries said black puff into his new bed. It’s a challenging task, because Spear doesn’t want to leave the basket he’s been living in for a month. “We need to use that basket, and you have proved to be a good company.”

Spear finally stops shaking him off and quiets down. “Obviously, you deserve your own bed. The one you’re occupying in my room is for Dori, so I figured you’d want your own place.”

Spear hums, then sings something with his mosquito voice and jumps into his nest.

They both watch him untidy the purple blanket before ducking under it and disappearing. It’s become quite normal to see him stretch out and flatten, but it still alarms Minho when he sees the blanket implode.

“We should probably wait here,” Felix stresses. “How do you know whether he’s asleep?”

The freckled boy sits down, leaning his back against the washing machine. A detergent falls off and rolls towards Minho, and he picks it up before sitting down beside Felix.

“I don’t think he needs to sleep,” Minho replies as he puts the detergent aside. He notes that they’ll need to buy a new one, considering how empty it feels. “Why would demons sleep? His metabolism doesn’t seem to work like ours.”

“I don’t know, but we shouldn’t judge him before we see. He gets hungry – he might get sleepy as well.”

“Have you ever seen him yawn?” Minho challenges with a raised brow. There’s something about teasing the younger that feels domestic. If he were to be sentimental, he’d say that Felix reminds him of a younger brother.

Felix pouts, “No, I haven’t. But anyway, there’s no other way to find out than being empiric.”

“You just made that word up,” Minho bites playfully. 

“No, I haven’t!” Felix whines but it gradually turns into a heartfelt laugh. “Hyung, stop underestimating me!”

He isn’t doing that, and Felix senses that in his tone. But playful remarks and annoyed retorts are both part of their game, and things don’t feel serious enough to stop playing.

“How can I take you seriously when you still don’t have the guts to officially ask Changbin out?”

“No, don’t you dare bring up this topic-”

“Well, I did,” Minho shushes him. “And because it’s already on the table, I’d like to reveal something that could raise your hopes.”

“Where’s the hitch?” Felix questions.

“Nowhere,” he shakes his head, letting his fringe fall out of his eyes. “The thing is, Jisung seems to know about Changbin’s interest in you. And he approves.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I’m saying. He wants you two to date, because Changbin is just as annoying as you are when it comes to bragging about his crush, apparently.”

Felix looks taken aback by the confession, but after solid five minutes of processing, the prettiest smile blooms on his face. One that lifts his ears and reaches both eyes, shaping them like two crescents. He looks away from Minho, hands coming up to rest on his cheeks as he silently screams into the dark room.

A few minutes pass, and a similar sound echoes from under the blanket.

Minho bursts out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking by. Hope you'll like the third instalment~


	3. III.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took me way longer than anticipated. Last month was a busy one, and I finished (and still have to finish) a few stories for various events. However, I’m finally back with an update! 
> 
> As you might have noticed, the chapter count has been changed from 3 to 5 because what I thought would fit into 3 chapters seems to have grown a little too much (a good enough proof is this chapter being almost 7k long), and I still have quite a few things to tell before I finish this. Rather than an ending, this is some sort of a new beginning to a chaos that is yet to ensue. But after all, that is why I named this story Serendipity – I expected it to become its own being, just like Spear invaded my heart without my consent and is now living on his own. 
> 
> I’ll be updating this irregularly, as I don’t have much of a plan other than a basic plotline I want to follow, which took until now to be established, and the result is a tad bit longer than expected. Therefore, I’m stretching the chapter count, though again, I have no clue how long this will actually be. The story is writing itself, and I’m just the medium *sigh*
> 
> However, I’ll be publishing new stories between updates so that will hopefully make up for the long wait. 
> 
> A big thanks to Ineth for beta-reading and discussing/patching the plotholes with me <3

Minho should have expected this. It’s no secret that Jisung has a big mouth, and while he wouldn’t outwardly open to a stranger, nor mean to spoil a secret, he’s too chatty when it comes to his friends. No wonder it has slipped.

And Minho can’t blame him because that’s humanly impossible, because Jisung is the cutest man on Earth and it would be a sin to be mad at him. That’s something Felix will agree on when he finds out.

Soon, since he’s already hanging out with Changbin.

“I’m sorry,” Jisung says, honestly. He’s looking everywhere but Minho, legs tangling around each other under the table. “I shouldn’t have told them; I was too excited.”

“It’s fine,” he answers, rubbing mindless circles into Jisung’s back. And it truly _is_ fine, because Changbin would be told either way since Felix already insisted on it. One more person may not be a problem, Chan has proved to be quite the reasonable type.

Jisung picks on his meal, plate almost empty yet still full enough to give him an excuse to stay. It’s not like he needs one, anyway. “I promise they won’t tell anyone.”

“They won’t,” Minho echoes. His mind is full of thoughts, picturing the way Chan would surely freak out if he saw Spear and how Changbin would grumpily pretend he isn’t scared. He stands up, putting his plate away – he takes Jisung’s as he goes, too, because there’s more they could do tonight than just stare at cutlery.

“I wanted to eat that,” Jisung grumbles but doesn’t budge when Minho cleans both plates and puts them aside.

“You can eat something else if you’re still hungry,” Minho says casually, enjoying the way Jisung’s cheeks catch aflame. There’s nothing more satisfying than flustering his boyfriend. “Wanna make me feel good?”

“No, he doesn’t,” comes the answer but its owner isn’t Jisung. Felix’ voice sounds tired, heavy with sleep. No wonder, he’s been out with Changbin for hours and it’s getting late. “You probably won’t like this but Changbin knows. I swear I didn’t tell him.”

“It’s fine,” Minho repeats himself, taking two strides towards Felix so he can ruffle his hair. “As long as he doesn’t freak out and tell everyone.”

“He wouldn’t,” Felix assures him.

His eyes linger on Minho for a little longer, as if he wanted to say more. Sleep must be getting into his head, though, because he merely shakes his head before ducking out of the kitchen space and shuffling towards his room.

When Minho turns around, there’s a hand on his shoulder. “Can I see Spear?”

He nods.

Jisung is just as curious about Spear as the demon is about him – it shows in the way they can lie around for hours, observing and prodding at each other. All while Minho tries to maintain small talks because he’s more than just a little jealous.

Jisung doesn’t notice _that_ , or at least doesn’t mention it. He does answer all his random questions and makes sure to address him every once in a while, though. May be fascinated with a demon pet but he’s still a good boyfriend. 

“What does he like?” Jisung inquires, the demon sitting in his lap while he caresses its shape. Spear is purring, which doesn’t technically mean he likes it, since he’s not actually a cat, but the sheer reality of having attention on him pleases him enough.

“Attention, apparently,” Minho answers when he realises he’s been staring for too long. “Oh, and cat food.” 

“How do you know he isn’t a cat?” Jisung asks, leaning back until he hits the wall.

“Look at him one more time and repeat that,” Minho deadpans, earning himself an uncontrollable explosion of giggles from beside him. This alarms Spear, and the demon soon leaves Jisung’s lap to hide into his nest. 

“No,” Jisung laughs, “that’s not what I meant. You know, there must be somewhere he came from. What if he’s not even the- uh, human version. Just a pet.”

Of course, he’s dead serious.

“So you’re saying that _out there_ , someone keeps these as their actual pets,” Minho raises his eyebrow, but his lips quirk up with it. He doesn’t bother with hiding the amused smile that appears on his face. 

“Why not?”

This time it’s Minho who can’t stop his laughter. There’s just something about Jisung’s pure expression that urges him to lean forward and wipe it off his face – so he does, pressing his lips against the familiar pink ones.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I may be,” Jisung admits between kisses, barely audible, “but you’re the one keeping a demon, so who’s talking?”

That may be a good point, but neither of them cares enough to point it out, too busy with their mouths. Minho’s hands find Jisung’s, fingers intertwining. Jisung’s hold is slack – Minho finds it adorable, writing it off to the fact that he can’t focus on more sensations at once.

But maybe there’s more to that when Jisung breaks away, choosing to simply stare into Minho’s eyes with lips merely an inch apart. Feeling his breath makes Minho nervous, for some reason, because he senses that he shouldn’t connect them.

“Are you okay?” he inquires, finding it hard to look away from his lips. When he does, Jisung’s eyes reflect fear. His pupils are shaking. Without thinking, Minho squeezes his hand.

“Yeah, I just…” Jisung mumbles, eyes falling to the mattress and then away to the closest wall. His voice sounds tense, weak. “I guess, nice for you – to have Spear, I mean. He’s adorable and would he not be missing a face, I’d say he’s just another cat you decided to keep.”

There’s not much sense in what he’s saying, not when the look in his face looks so hurt.

“Jisung?”

“I…” Jisung is barely breathing, voice catching in his throat. He’s slipping away. Minho wants to kiss him, he always does – that’s what helps Jisung relax, most of the time. However, it doesn’t feel right. “This is stupid, ignore me.”

“What- no,” he exclaims, belatedly realising how loud that was compared to Jisung’s tone. He takes Jisung’s face in his hands, caressing his cheeks. “There’s nothing stupid about talking things out, tell me what’s wrong.”

It’s not new, comforting Jisung when he feels down and stressed out. Minho’s been doing that for years – he was Jisung’s comfort wall even before they started dating. It was always Minho’s responsibility to make him happy, paying back for all those times Jisung brightened his own life.

He lets out a whisper, pronouncing Jisung’s name carefully. The younger finally turns towards him, eyes finding his. He looks worried, then bewildered.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” comes out of Jisung’s mouth, insistent and loud. A single tear glisters in the corner of his eye.

The world freezes when the words leave Jisung’s mouth. More tears collect in his eyes, sparkling like crystals, never quite falling down his cheeks. “That’s so selfish, right? Spear would be in danger if people found him, you had to keep him safe. What if someone heard us talking about him?”

It’s too much – Jisung is right, about everything, and yet he feels at fault. How could he keep this away from Jisung?

Carefully, he lets go of Jisung’s face, only to extend both of his arms towards him. It doesn’t take long for Jisung to accept the invitation, and he soon falls into Minho’s arms, locking his limbs around Minho’s body, one hand holding onto the back of his neck tightly while he hides his sniffling face in Minho’s shoulder.

He’s not sure what he’s about to say when he opens his mouth, but he knows it will work out. Because this is Jisung, and they always work things out. He may not be as good with words as his boyfriend, but he knows what he feels.

He takes a breath, and lets it flow out: “Sung, I’m sorry. Trust me when I say that I didn’t want to keep it away from you.”

Jisung hiccups, and Minho pulls him even closer. He lowers his head to press a comforting kiss to his shoulder, then stays there even as he talks.

“Hell, we were both confused with Felix, clueless as to what to do. We didn’t know much ourselves and wanted to keep him safe. From everyone,” he explains. “We didn’t know how he’d react… I didn’t want either of you to get hurt.”

Jisung stays quiet, processing his words and calming himself down. His hiccups seem to fade with Minho’s hand rubbing his back, and his breath is evening out. His whole weight is now centred into his chest and face, and it doesn’t exactly feel comfortable, but just knowing that he has Jisung safely in his arms overweighs the struggle of keeping them upwards.

It feels like hours with Jisung melting into his arms. When he listens closely, he can hear Jisung hum here and there, a song that always calms his nerves.

“Hey,” he dares to say.

Jisung turns his head towards him, eyeing his face. Minho’s lips downturn into a pout before he can take control – he already misses the warmth of Jisung’s body. Nevertheless, the pout doesn’t stay long when he sees Jisung smiling again.

He sighs, relieved.

He reaches out one more time, thumb dragging across Jisung’s cheek to dry the last tears. Jisung leans into his touch, eyes falling shut and lips stretching into a tired smile. He’s feeling better now, hopefully having expressed everything that was bothering him.

It needs to be let out, Minho knows as much; and as much as he likes the fact that Jisung seeks him out to relieve pressure, he hopes that there aren’t any new worries to chase away.

Right, Jisung seems to be feeling good.

Yet another distraction can’t make things worse, and Minho already knows how to make him forget about his insecurities. He turns around, eyes searching for Spear – he finds him observing them from the top of the cat tree.

Jisung is already studying his face when he returns his gaze back, grinning.

“Wanna help me bathe him?”

Felix barely makes it past the front door, struggling to get his shoes off without stumbling onto the floor – if he did, he wouldn’t hesitate to fall asleep right then and there. His feet are heavy, aching from too much stimulation, but it feels good in his mind.

After all, what proves better that you had an amazing afternoon spent in the dance studios, if not your limbs threatening to fall off your body?

It still hurts, though, and having to travel home instead of falling asleep in the studio doesn’t help to soothe the ache. However, Felix knows how to achieve that.

A bubble bath.

He feels a little pathetic when he remembers taking baths back at home. When he was young, it was always his mother who filled the tub for him and brought him cookies. He could still hear people behind the bathroom door, rushing through their day, chatting.

It’s too far away now, though, both in time and space.

It’s been so long.

His legs barely carry him towards the bathroom, and his head is only spinning slowly, so it doesn’t take as much effort to open the door and stumble inside. He almost slips when his foot lands on the wet floor, and then once again when he nears the shampoo cabinet.

A little annoying, yet he can’t bring himself to be affected. He just hopes he can fall into the bathtub before hitting the cold tiles first because he doesn’t want Minho to find him dead in their own apartment.

He’s giving him enough trouble, after all.

There are many regrets clouding Felix’ mind before he turns on the water, watching the tub fill up and enjoying the soothing sound of streaming water. He can almost imagine jumping into it – he’ll do that soon, though it will be more of a fall with how limp his body feels.

Then the bath is ready, and Felix can finally relax into the warmth. A sigh leaves his lips once the water surface reaches his shoulders, feeling all of the pressure in his body disappear. Letting his mind wander…

He’s missed this. Because it makes the pain go away, because it makes him feel safe, and because it reminds him of home. Something that is more of a faint wish than a reality, the past few years.

It used to be okay, keeping in touch with his parents while staying with Chris, as he promised when he first moved into Korea. He wanted to see the world, wanted to be close to who he’s always called his older brother – that goes for being cousins and best friends at once.

But it’s been getting harder.

Worse.

How long has it been since he’s last spent a proper afternoon with Chris?

Ever since he’s moved out, they hardly find time for each other, and even if… it’s just not the same, not when Jeongin is here. And he can’t blame the younger, shouldn’t feel jealous of him; and yet he does.

Because Chris used to be his, and now he’s Jeongin’s. Yes, Jeongin has needed the comfort and hideaway just as much as Felix, and yes, Jeongin is younger and high school doesn’t pay for an apartment. It still hurts – to be the second choice.

He huffs out a frustrated breath, sinking even lower into the water until his lips meet the surface, and then he blows again, feeling the water to form bubbles around his mouth. He repeats the action twice, enjoying the way the corners of his lips turn up subconsciously.

It’s not that bad, after all. Even without Chris, Felix has found another family. Minho is an older brother, taking care of him, Dori, and Spear mostly on his own – it’s not that Felix doesn’t help around, but let’s be honest, the responsible one here is Minho, just because he’s less clumsy.

He’s not his cousin, but he’s more than enough. And Felix is grateful for him, for everything that Minho has done for him, and for everything that Minho puts up with. He truly, undoubtedly- 

_Crash._

Felix feels it more than hears the dull noise of plastic bottles scattering across the room. It’s a sound that immediately brings his attention to the sink, and his mind processes sooner than his eyes fall upon the demon.

“You scared me, mate,” he scolds Spear when he finally spots the tiny creature wiggling its tail from under a pile of fallen shampoo tubes. “What are you doing here?”

The demon pays no attention to him, wrestling with the blue conditioner bottle that is definitely Minho’s, judging by the teeth stains on the lid. The older swears it was Dori but they both know it’s easier to open things with teeth when you have your hands full.

“Come here,” Felix beckons him, sitting up just enough for Spear to notice his presence. This time, the demon lifts his head, yet he doesn’t make a move towards the bathtub. Silence falls upon the room. “Spear?”

As if a spell has been broken, Spear shakes his whole body, temporarily becoming one small cloud of unfocused mass, and then leaps onto the bath rim where he attaches his paws. Stopping right in front of Felix, it takes him by surprise, yet he’s rather happy that the demon wants to play.

And then he gets another idea.

“Wanna have some fun?” he asks, and then erupts in laughter when Spear straightens up to his full height, letting its tail form a spiral above his body. Would he have a face, he’d be surely smiling – and since Felix believes there _is_ a face underneath all the darkness, he knows he’s right.

It doesn’t take that long to find the forgotten bath bomb that, for some unknown reason, remained at the back of the cabinet that Spear fell out of. The challenging part is dissuading Spear from eating it, but he succeeds after dumping the bomb into the water and letting Spear watch as it explodes.

He, too, enjoys the colourful show. It reminds him of fireworks that were held on New Year’s Eve, and of all the flowers that don’t grow in Korea due to its different environment. There’s soft pink, one that would probably be found decorating a dessert book. Later, it melts into peach and orange, and its final yellow colour completes the image of a nostalgic sunset.

When the bubbles have settled in and the colours have stopped mingling with each other, Felix returns into the warm embrace of the bathtub. The water is slightly colder now, but he doesn’t mind – it feels refreshing. 

He doesn’t realise his eyes have drifted close until Spear grumbles and he opens them, looking for the small creature that’s still sitting at the edge of their bathtub. It’s probably glaring.

“Come in while the water is still warm,” Felix invites him, offering him a hand as if that would help Spear to calm down. Maybe he will take it or use it as a pedestal, so he doesn’t have to touch the wet substance.

Neither is the correct answer, it seems. All that changes is that now, Spear’s tail is twirling behind his body impatiently (or in annoyance, Felix hasn’t cracked that code yet), and he’s answering Felix with mocking gibberish he learnt from Minho.

But that’s fine, he cannot force Spear into water. At least the demon is here, with him, with no sign of wanting to run away even though Felix is fairly sure he has learned how to open a door by now.

In the overall silent room, there’s nothing much to be distracted by, and so Felix’ thoughts return towards his previous worries, settling in the depth of his stomach instead of floating around among the bubbles.

He occasionally picks on the towers of foam that pile around his body, using his palms to form them into statues that barely hold up their own weight. Maybe it’s useless, but it’s fun. And that subtle feeling that blooms in the pits of his stomach and outshines his regrets is worth it.

With the new taste on his tongue, comforting bubbles, the sound of splashing water, and most importantly Spear who’s found his place behind the faucet – he feels at ease. Somewhat. 

There’s a lot on his mind, yet when he reflects on himself in the present, he feels relaxed. Maybe that’s what makes him feel so brave when he lets out a whimper.

And just like that, Felix starts talking.

“Where do you come from?” his words flow out in the direction of nothing. However, Spear understands they were meant for him. When Felix looks over at the demon, he’s already twirling around the faucet, a little screech on its lips.

He reaches out to scratch Spear under his chin, yet the demon retreats quickly. That must be the water.

“I know I’ve asked before,” he continues when Spear has settled back into what seems to be a sitting position. “You always act as if you were scared of that place. But after all, there must be something that you miss. Right?”

Spear shakes his head (or rather, his whole upper body) and growls. It sounds grumpy, and maybe back where Spear lives, it’s supposed to be intimidating. To Felix, it’s no more than a memory of Minho. A sound he would definitely make when he feels embarrassed.

“It might not sound right but I’ve had it hard at home. At least I think, that’s what my teenage self was feeling,” his cheeks flame up at the fact that he feels the need to explain himself, “but now I’m here, and it’s even harder. It makes me think that I was too harsh on myself back then.”

Maybe it wasn’t hard at all. It was no one but Felix who held himself back from being satisfied. He wanted more, he dreamed big, and carelessly let himself believe that life out there would be perfect.

It’s not. Yet he’d had Chan, so it was bearable – it was fun.

Now he doesn’t have his cousin anymore, though, and while his life hasn’t changed much, he misses what used to be. Only him, Chan, and the big scary world behind the window – but it was fine because they had each other.

Then came Jeongin, and it became bearable. The younger is a sweetheart, and though he has a mischievous personality, he likes to help around and fills the room with joy. Jeongin meant Felix sleeping in Chan’s bed while the older spends his night out in the studio – and then having small fights over the privilege of sleeping _with_ Chan when he’s at home.

“It’s not his fault,” Felix concludes. “He deserves Chan just as much as I do.”

Spear hums in agreement.

“And yet it feels extremely unfair. Why couldn’t we stay the way we used to be?” he wonders, arms stretching around his body to disrupt the colourful surface. “We were perfect.”

That.

The word that Felix had always been reaching for, chasing perfection as if that were the endgame of whatever game he had been playing. Now he’s strayed away and lost his direction – an explanation he likes more than simply saying he’s given up.

The world was supposed to be perfect with Chan – how could that change with one small incident?

The room falls silent.

Felix’ head dips underneath the surface, and he ignores the slight burn of soap in his eyes in favour of getting lost in the comforting sensation. The deafening silence of the ocean – a memory of his childhood, diving and swimming in the Tasmanian sea.

For a fleeting moment, he wonders whether he has enough courage to stay underwater even when his lungs start burning. He might.

Yet he doesn’t.

No, because there’s another splashing sound coming from beside his head, and he’s way more alarmed than ready to drown.

“You okay, buddy?” he inquires when he finally succeeds at lifting the struggling body out of the bathtub. It’s a challenging task, since Spear doesn’t really have a physical body, and yet it’s somehow possible to hold him.

Would Spear have already mastered talking, he would surely shoot back a few insults, judging by the hateful stare he points towards the bubbles. But since he can’t speak yet, his answer is another round of gibberish.

Now, though, he’s already soaking wet. Despite his complaints, even Spear can’t magically dry himself, and after a solid minute of fidgeting and useless flying around, he finally gives up.

With one swift move, he’s back in the bathtub, diving underneath the surface all the way to Felix’ feet. It tickles when he brushes his skin, and Felix doesn’t stop his giggles – and soon turns them into a loud laughter.

It’s amusing to watch Spear play in the water. He’s clumsy and too eager for his own good, not knowing how to properly move around and splashing more than swimming, but he seems to be having fun. Especially when he jumps through what must be mountains of bubbles and foam from his perspective.

He’s adorable.

“This is what bathing should be always like,” he exclaims somewhere in between blowing foam at Spear, enjoying the way the demon shrieks and _laughs_ and mirrors his actions – yet with minimal effect.

He feels like he’s back in Australia, younger by at least ten years. It feels refreshing. It feels like home. Suddenly, the energy that’d been slowly fading away flows back into his body, seeping through his skin and filling his soul.

This has been the answer all along.

Even if Felix doesn’t know the question he’s been asking all this time. 

That’s… not true.

_Will it ever be the same as before? Can I turn back time?_

Those are the questions haunting Felix when he feels at low, hiding underneath his bed and in the shadows of December nights when there’s not enough sunlight to keep his mind from getting clouded.

That’s all he dreams of, now. He used to want perfection, to push forward and towards eternity – nowadays, he just wants to return back to the times when things were heading that way. Chris would have known how to deal with such thoughts. He has an answer for everything, and what he can’t solve is a problem to smile at until it vanishes itself.

“I miss him,” he admits into the silent room. “I want him back.”

He knows it won’t work, there’s no spell he could use – and yet, when his eyes meet Spear, a spark of hope is born in his stomach.

Spear cannot talk because he hasn’t learned how to parrot words. He probably wouldn’t understand the meaning of his words even if he could. But whatever he uses for communicating, it’s way more effective. Maybe Felix cannot hear what he’s saying but when he stares into the black matter that lacks a face… he _feels_. A lot.

It’s certainly Spear talking, even if there are no sounds coming from him.

And he’s telling Felix to move, to act.

Felix feels like a marionette when his body springs up and stumbles out of the bath, clumsily grabbing for a towel to dry his hair with and then wrap around his waist before running out of the bathroom. He’s left the lights on, and the bath is still full of cooling water.

He’ll fix it later.

There’s no time – there’s more than enough time, but it doesn’t matter. Not now, not when he needs to take his chance. That can technically wait, too, but Spear’s words drive Felix forward.

His skin burns hot with anticipation when he opens his room and takes a few strides towards his bed where his phone has been charging since the morning. Not knowing what to do with himself, he lies down, fumbling with the device to find his contacts.

Chris.

Why hasn’t he thought about this sooner?

They live a few blocks apart, which is far more than just a door away, yet impossibly closer than divided by an ocean. He’s been worse when Chris left Australia, but now they’re both here. A few blocks don’t mean anything.

Not when he has Chris’ number saved in his phone. Over the line, at least listening to his voice, he can pretend they’re lying next to each other. It’s not real, but it’s more than enough. For now.

This way, they can be together even when they’re kilometres apart.

He presses _call._

Jisung’s lips are soft when they press against Minho’s skin repeatedly, spreading joy through his body like a wildfire – the addicting warmth of Jisung luring him in like a moth. The way a subtle touch can spark thousands of stars to light up…

Ah, it’s probably the amount of time he spends with Jisung when the younger writes lyrics that make him sound so poetic, and it’s amusing to watch his own brain play with Jisung’s words that he probably shouldn’t have memorised. They sound dumb in his own head, but he wholeheartedly agrees.

Even if he didn’t, there’s no way he can keep his mind busy with such – not when Jisung’s lips and hands are everywhere, his giggles echoing in the room.

Their bodies press together, hips dancing with each other as they wrestle for dominance, trying to get on top of each other for no reason – except the unspoken rule of being on top means attacking with kisses, both wanting nothing more than to make the other giggle underneath.

Normally, it would be easy to let Jisung win their little game. To lie back and enjoy his boyfriend being silly, affectionate. But after seeing Jisung’s eyes cloud with worries, and after revealing his insecurities, Minho wants to _give_ some love back.

 _I love you, you’re special._ Jisung deserves to know that he matters, which is something that Minho thinks is obvious enough, and yet Jisung fails to acknowledge it. 

Minho’s fingers slip under Jisung’s shirt, dragging it up until Jisung lets him take it off. He’s being stripped just a moment later, Jisung’s face blocking his vision as he connects their lips for the umpteenth time and drags Minho down by the back of his neck.

One more, one minute longer. Jisung always wants to deepen the kiss a little too soon, but Minho doesn’t mind. His boyfriend is too eager but that only feels good once they get down to business, because he knows exactly how to push Minho’s buttons to get what he wants.

And, well, Minho is just as eager to give.

That’s how they work, a constant push and pull; pulling each other along and into each other, and pushing towards their goals. A dynamic that has always been Minho’s favourite – now with a fairly new ingredient, dating, it’s even more irresistible.

After what feels like eternity, Jisung’s lips disconnect from his for a short moment to take a breath with an intention of resuming what they’ve started. However, he doesn’t get a chance to reconnect their lips because Minho is leaning forward, taking the opportunity to attach his lips to Jisung’s collarbone.

The younger huffs out a laugh, fingers slipping into Minho’s hair as he guides his head around. It’s hard to kiss him when Minho’s smile blocks him from puckering his lips, but he manages somehow. And maybe he fails horribly but the press of his lips against Jisung’s skin is enough to satisfy the other – and as long as it makes Jisung happy, it satisfies him as well.

He hopes that Jisung knows as much. He should already know how much he means to Minho, even without having to spell it out, because that’s not what Minho is good at. Talking is Jisung’s way of showing love (well, and cuddles), Minho prefers acting and showing over words.

And there are many words he wants to convey, whether about how pretty Jisung is right now, or any other day, really; or simply letting out all the feelings that have hoarded in his stomach since the last time he’d kissed Jisung like this.

Kisses – peppered across Jisung’s chest, then a peck that lands on his nose and another on his left cheek. After that comes a series of kisses trailing down his stomach, making Jisung giggle every time he meets his skin.

Even with a full display of Jisung’s chest, which is a rare sight since the younger has a passion for oversized clothes, Minho finds himself glued to one particular spot after having enough fun exploring.

The place just over Jisung’s heart is what he’s drawn towards, the faint echo of his heartbeat matching his own pace and bringing warmth into his stomach.

A heart that is equally as excited as he is. The one heart he wants to share lives with until the end of time. A wish that’s been getting more real as the time goes – something his teenage self would only dream of.

“I wanna marry you,” he confesses, voice matching the silent room, almost drowned out by Jisung’s bubbly laughter. However, he’s fairly sure Jisung has heard him when he falls silent.

Silence should be scary, but the soft smile that forms on Jisung’s lips indicates there’s nothing to worry about. Patient enough, he may even get an answer right now. He’s not sure how to feel about that, but he doesn’t take his proposal back.

“Me too,” Jisung finally answers, sheepishly.

Minho lets out a breath didn’t know he was holding. When Jisung reaches forward to caress his face, he inhales it back in, feeling his cheeks heat up. It shouldn’t have been as embarrassing as it is – it isn’t. He’s just nervous because this question is no longer a game.

Jisung seems to have sensed that because he pulls him down again, locking their lips and whispering _yes_ all over again against Minho’s mouth. “Are you being completely serious?”

Minho chuckles, “Not really. Yes, about proposing to you. No, about planning to ask you today.”

“Do you not want me to say yes yet?”

“That’s not it, I’m glad you said yes,” Minho shakes his head. He’s having a hard time focusing his eyes on Jisung’s instead of letting his gaze fall down to his lips. “At least I don’t have to worry once I have your ring ready-”

“Did you think I would have said no?” Jisung inquires, a little more tense. His bottom lip is caught between his teeth and his brows are knit. Minho lifts his hand without thinking, thumb swiping across Jisung’s lip to free it.

That’s not entirely correct, he hasn’t thought about this at all, so he couldn’t have predicted Jisung’s reaction. To be honest, he has always imagined being proposed to by Jisung before he even gets the opportunity to plan things. That’s just how Jisung is – straightforward, at least with their relationship.

But he’s also insecure about a lot of things. _Did you think I would have said no?_ Even though he’s scolding Minho, the older knows the question has been directed at both.

“Shall we start planning our wedding already?” he suggests, hoping to lead the conversation to a less serious topic. Not that he doesn’t want to discuss marriage, but there’s plenty of time to simply enjoy each other before they take the next step.

“We’re having a pool party, one hundred percent,” Jisung affirms. “Maybe Chan could help us plan our honeymoon in Australia?”

“Let’s discuss more options before settling for that,” he decides to say. He knows nearly nothing about Australia, but he doesn’t think that inviting dangerous spiders for their trip is necessarily a good idea. “I completely agree with the pool party though.”

It’s not the first time they’ve playfully discussed their future – not since they’ve started dating, but not even since they became friends.

It’s an interesting concept, and when you’re barely fifteen and full of expectations and big dreams, future means hundreds of opportunities. Minho cannot count the number of times they’ve found each other at night, cuddling under one blanket and talking about their adulthood.

Always together, both back in high school when Minho had a sad crush on Jisung that he thought could never lead to anything, and now when the said crush has evolved into love. Because Minho is thousand percent sure he’s in love.

He has always been, with Jisung.

It could have been hours but it usually turns out to be only a few minutes of lying down comfortably next to each other, limbs tangled together in a way that makes them look like they’re spaghetti (that’s what Jisung calls it, and maybe it sounds ridiculous but it’s absolutely adorable coming from Jisung’s mouth).

_This is nice._

It could probably be described in thousands of different ways, but Minho’s brain feels too mushy to collaborate further.

Jisung seems to be just as tired. His body is warm in Minho’s embrace, limp arms wrapped around Minho’s torso and a heavy head propped on his chest. His lips are parted slightly, and it seems like he’s just about to fall asleep.

Hyunjin has once told Minho that falling asleep in someone’s presence means that you trust them enough to see you in your most vulnerable moment.

He rarely takes the younger seriously, and this has been an excuse for falling asleep during dance practice that Minho didn’t approve of – yet it isn’t entirely incorrect. Seeing Jisung like this, in his most natural form, hair ruffled, and face swollen, that _something_ in his chest wants to believe this is true. And he’s glad that Jisung feels comfortable enough around him, he’s always been grateful for that.

This is one of those perfect moments that Minho wants to savour forever – which means that a sudden phone call that stirs Jisung awake does not surprise him in the slightest.

With mild grumbling, he swipes the screen to answer. A cheery voice greets him from the other side.

“Hyung, you were right!” Felix chants, and Minho can picture him in his head, slightly jumping in his seat. His earrings must be dangling like crazy with how fidgety Felix becomes when excited. “Changbin totally loves it.”

Minho’s eyes drop to Jisung’s on instinct, suddenly very aware of how loud Felix must be. A knot begins to tie in his stomach when he sees Jisung rubbing his eyes, mouthing a confused _Changbin?_

But he cannot stop Felix without sounding suspicious, and he cannot end the call without it either, and he cannot tell him to be quiet – or maybe he can, but Jisung has already heard his friend’s name, and he’s gonna ask questions.

“I’m glad that everything went well,” he says then, dropping his voice to what must be half of Felix’ initial volume. The younger picks up on this quickly, hushing out a quiet “ _sorry, did I wake you up?_ ”

“No, it’s fine,” he shakes his head, “But yes, I would appreciate if you called me later. Or just tell me once you’re home. I’m kind of… busy.”

Felix’ voice hitches, his embarrassment apparent with how much effort it takes him to croak out a simple “ _I didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll call you later_ ” before hanging up.

Minho can’t stop the laughter that bubbles out of his chest at the image of Felix’ face going crimson red at the implication of having Jisung in bed. Which technically _is_ true, but he will have to apologise to Felix for freaking him out.

It’s Jisung who makes him bite back his laughter: “Who was that? Felix? What’s going well?”

Minho’s blood runs cold. Well, it would have if this were his secret to keep, but he still freezes in spot when his brain catches up to Jisung’s words.

He technically hasn’t promised Felix anything – they’re keeping their relationship hidden because there was no opportunity to come out. Minho only knows because Felix is his roommate and he’s not blind, nor deaf.

But Jisung doesn’t know yet, at least that’s what he assumes from the confused look that he’s pulling off right now, one that he wants to kiss away.

“I’m not entirely sure,” he admits, because Felix could be excited about any other outcome that followed their seemingly successful plan, “but I think that Changbin gave him a kiss.”

Jisung’s mouth forms a surprised ‘oh’ that’s just as wide and round as his eyes. This expression lasts for exactly five seconds (yes, Minho is counting) before his lips stretch into a wide grin.

“Were you helping Felix to confess?” he inquires then, eyes sparkling. He lifts himself up to hover over Minho’s body, and it feels like he’s staring right into his soul.

Here it comes, he should tell Jisung the truth – he might feel bad for not keeping Felix’ secret, but he would feel even worse to keep it away from Jisung. It couldn’t be helped, not bringing it up until now; this is not something you can just drop onto the table.

But now it should be approached and discussed, since you can’t just swipe it off or hide under a plate without seeming suspicious.

“No, they’re already dating,” he discloses somehow audibly, despite his throat closing up at the way Jisung’s face deepens with sadness. “At least unofficially- hey, they’re happy together.”

That last sentence is a fail, since it was meant to assure Jisung that he shouldn’t be worried about Changbin, but it only brings more tears to gather up under his lids. Crystal clear droplets of despair that should never be present in Jisung’s eyes.

Minho wants to caress his cheek, but Jisung dodges, a few tears spilling onto his cheek in the process. He takes a shaky breath, trying his hardest to speak up, “Why?”

One word that pierces Minho’s heart, makes him regret his whole being just because it left Jisung’s mouth. And maybe he _should_ rethink his decision of not telling him sooner, but again – this isn’t Minho’s secret. He has no right to talk about it, even if it’s his boyfriend.

And that seems to be what hurt Jisung the most.

The atmosphere shifts drastically – it makes Minho’s head spin until his vision blurs and there’s nothing else in the room he can process other than Jisung. His warm body that is still so close, his burning skin where Minho’s hands enclose around his wrists because Jisung doesn’t let him intertwine their fingers.

Jisung isn’t done talking. His words are shaky but piercing. He would be fuming if he were a cartoon character, smoke coming out of his mouth. But cartoon characters usually don’t cry a river while this is happening.

“My best friends are dating each other, have been crushing on each other for months- and you all decide it’s a good idea not to tell me? because what, I would judge them?” Jisung cries, occasionally stumbling on his syllables, “And _you_ didn’t stop them?” he’s barely breathing, “You kept Spear a secret because I apparently wasn’t trust-worthy enough; now you kept their relationship. Wow, thanks for showing me that I’m not trusted here!”

And with that final blow, the door slam closed.

After a minute of silence, Jisung’s body warmth finally fades from his sensory memory. And then there’s nothing more than stillness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being patient with me. It’s been over a month, yet I was struggling with the ending scene a lot since I never thought this would have angst in it and I wasn’t *ready* plus there were so many other projects to keep me busy. 
> 
> Anyway, I’m back with a hopeful promise of updating this once a week/two weeks because that sounds believable. If you wanna see me struggling live, follow me on twitter @anchan9volley
> 
> For those who still remember that I promised this to be plotless... yeah I'm sorry, I don't know why I thought I'd have control over that. But don't worry, I'm a sucker for fluff so the angst will get resolved soon~


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